Automatic poultry-feeder.



No. 728,378. PATENTED MAY. 19, 1903';

' AUTOMATIC POULTRY FEEDER.

APPLICATION TILED JUNE 18. 1902.

10 MODEL.

UNITED STATES- Patented May 19, 1903.

LINFORD J. DAVIS, OF FATTLEOREEK, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC P IOL I LTRY-FE'EDERI SPECIFICATION formingpart Of LettersPatent No. 728,378, dated. May 19, 1903.

Application filed J'nne 18 1902.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LINFORD J. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bat tlecreek, in the county of Calhoun and State ofMichigan, have invented anew and useful Automatic Poultry-Feeder, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in automatic poultry-feeders.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofpoultry-feeders and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensiveapparatus adapted to enable fowls to obtain food at any time and capableof distributing grain over a predetermined area and of causing chickensand other fowl to scratch for the food, and thereby obtain the neces:sary exercise.

A further object of the invention is toprovide an apparatus of thischaracter which will not require the attention of a person ex.- cept forthe purpose of keeping the hopper supplied with grain and which willenable the grain to be economically discharged in predeterminedquantities to prevent it from being wasted. a

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts, hereinafter-fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view ofa'poultry-feeder constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2is a detail view illustrating the construction of the scattering device;Fig. 3 is a similar view of a slight modification of thescatteringdevice. 1

Like numerals of reference, designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

l designates a cylindrical hopper open at the top and provided with aconical lower portion 2, truncated to provide an open bottom for thedischarge of the grain or other contents of the hopper, as hereinafterexplained. The hopper is provided at its top'with upwardly-extendin gears 4, to whichis connected a bail 5,andjit is suspended from a ceilingor other suitable support by means of a flexible connection 5, having ahook 6 for en- Serial No. 112,214. (No model.)

gaging the bail, and by arranging the hopper different distances fromthe floor or other supporting-surface the grain or other contents -maybe scattered over a greater or less area, as desired. The hopper isprovided above its lower tapered portion with upper and lower horizontalguide-bars 7 and 8, having centrally-alined apertures for the receptionof a vertically-movable rod 9, which carries an upper cut-off 10 and alower combined cut-0E 'and scattering device 11, consisting, preferably,of a coneadjustably mounted on the ,lower portion of the rod 9 andhaving its apex extended into the opening of the tapered portion of thehopper and normally closing the latter to prevent the escape of grain orother materials The lower portion 12 of the rod 9 is threaded and theadjustable scattering dejvice is provided at its apex with a nut 13 and.is adapted to be rotated to arrange it the desired distance from theupper cut-oft 10 to secure the desired discharge of the grain when theapparatus is operated, as hereinafter explained. The upper cut-off 10consists of a vided at its base with a flexible disk 15, of rubber orother suitable material, which is held against the cone by means of aplate 16 and a nut 17.- The plate 16, which is constructed of sheetmetal or other suitable material and .which is substantially the samediameter as the base of the cone of the upper cut-0E l0, terminatesshort ofthe periphery of the flexible 'disk,which projects outward, asclearly shown in Fig. 1, and which is adapted when the rod iscarrieddownward toengagethe inner face of the tapered lower portionofthe hopper to cutoff the flowof grain. The nut 17 engages the lower faceof the -plate 16, and the nut 14 engages the apex of the cone of thecut-oh? 10,;and by this construction the parts of the upper cut-0E arefirmly secured to the threaded portion of the verticallymovable rod.

When the rod is moved downward by the means hereinafter described, thescatteringcone is carried downward-away from th'ebottom of the hopper,and the grainwhich 0ccupied the space betweenthe scattering-cone and theupper cut-oft --is carried downward and allowed to flow through thehopper upon the scattering-cone. The grain falling upon cone engaged atits apex by a nut 14 and prothe scattering-cone is thrown outward andscattered over the surface of the floor or ground, and thescattering-cone is also pro vided with apertures 18 and 19 to permitsome of the grain to pass through it and to fall directly beneath thecone, whereby the feed will be uniformly distributed throughout apredetermined area. The openings are formed by punching the metal of thecone, and the metal may be only partially severed to form projections 20and 21, which may be extended inward or outward and which will serve tointercept and deflect the grain to scatter the same. The lower or outerportion 23 of the scattering-cone may be fluted or crimped to divide thegrain and cause a uniform scattering of the same, and, as shown in Fig.3, the base of the cone may be provided with a partially-upturnedportion or flange 24 to throw the grain upward and outward.

The scattering device, which forms the lower cut-off, is normally heldagainst the bottom of the hopper by means of a coiled spring 25,interposed between the upper guide-bar 7 and athumb-nut 26, disposed onan upper threaded portion of the rod and adapted to be adjusted toregulate the tension of the spring. The lower end of the rod is providedwith a suitable eye 27, which is engaged with a hook 28, similar to thebook 6, and which is connected by a cord 29 or other flexible connectionwith a depressible platform 30,centrallyconnected,by means of ascrew-hook 31 or other suitable fastening device, with the cord 29 andadapted to be depressed by the weight of a chicken or other fowl tooperate the cut-offs. The platform is connected at its ends with thefloor or other supporting-surface by means of short chains 2, connectedwith the lower face of the platform and secured to the said floor orother supporting-surface by means of screw eyes or hooks; but any othersuitable means may be employed for connecting the platform with thefloor and for permitting the necessary vertical movement of theplatform. The floor or other supporting-surface is designed to be strewnwith suitable rubbish, so that chickens and other fowl will be compelledto scratch for the grain, thereby securing the necessary exercise andinsuring the best possible condition for egg production.

It will be seen that the apparatus is exceedingly simple andinexpensivein construction, that it is adapted to permit poultry toobtain food at any time, and that it will save time and labor in feedingpoultry and will prevent waste of the grain or other material. It willalso be clear that the combined cutoff and scattering device is adaptedto be readily adjusted to arrange it the desired distance from the uppercut-off for securing the desired discharge of grain at each operation ofthe apparatus, and that the grain is uniformly scattered over a givenarea, and

that it falls through and beneath the scattering device as well asbeyond the same.

What is claimed is 1. An apparatus of the class described comprising ahopper provided atits bottom with an opening, a normally open uppercut-01f, a lower cut-off normally closing the bottom of the hopper, andoperating mechanism for opening the lowercut-oft and closing the uppercut-off, whereby a predetermined quantity of feed is discharged,substantially as described.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising a hopper provided atits bottom with an opening, a normally open upper cut-off, a combinedcut-off and scattering device arranged at the bottom of the hopper andnormally closing the same and adapted when opened to scatter the grainor other material, and means foroperating the upper cut-off and thecombined cut-off and scattering device, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising a hopper provided withan opening, a combined cut-off and scattering device arranged at theopening and normally closing the hopper and arranged to throw the grainor other material outward to scatter the same, and provided withopenings to permit a portion of the grain to 'pass through it, and meansfor operating the combined cut-01f and scattering device, substantiallyas described.

4. An apparatus of the class described comprising a hopper provided withan opening, a combined cut-off and scattering device consisting of acone and normally closing the hopper and provided with openings topermit grain to pass through it, and means for operating the combinedcut-01f and scattering device, substantially as described.

5. An apparatus of the class described comprising a hopper having anopening, a combined cut-01f and scattering device consisting of a coneprovided beyond the hopper with openings to permit grain to pass throughit and having projections, and means for operating the combined cut-0Eand scattering device, substantially as described.

6. An apparatus of the class described comprising a hopper having anopening, a combined cut-off and scattering device consisting of a coneprovided beyond the hopper with openings and having its lower or outerportion corrugated to effect a uniform scattering of the grain, andmeans for operating the combined cut-off and scattering device,substantially as described.

7. An apparatus of the class described comprising a hopper provided witha conical lower portion having an opening, an upper cut-off locatedwithin the hopper and normallyheld above the bottom of the same, a lowercombined cut-ofi and scattering device consisting of a cone normallyclosing the bottom of the hopper and connected with the upper cut-oil?and provided with openings, and means for tension of the spring, upperand lower cutoffs mounted on the rod, a depressible platform connectedwith the rod, and means for loosely connecting the platform with thefloor or other supporting-surface, substantially as described.

operating the-upper cut-off and the lower combined cut-0E and-scatteringdevice, substantially as described. v

8; An apparatus of the class described comprising aihopper, avertically-movable sprin gactuated rod guidedon the hopper, an upper.

cut-off comprising a cone, a flexible disk fitted against the base ofthe cone, and a'plate engaging the flexible disk andterminating 10. Anapparatus of the class described. comprising a hopper provided with abottom opening, a rod extending through thebottom of the hopper andhaving a threaded portion,

an upper cut-off mounted on the rod, and a lower combined cut-off andscattering device adj ustably engaging the screw-threads of the rod andadapted to be moved longitudinally thereon, and means for operating therod, substantially as described.

11. An apparatus of the class described comprising a hopper-having anopening a with an upturned flange to throw the grain outward and upward,and means for operating the combined cut-off and scattering device,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

, LINFORD J. DAVIS. Witnesses: F. P. BOUGHTON,

CHARLES? AUSTIN.

combined cut-off and scattering device con- H sisting of a coneprovidedat its periphery.

